gmc
Latest
GM extends OnStar smartphone control to 14 more vehicles
Once solely slated for the Chevy Volt, the OnStar MyLink smartphone app has gained considerable ground -- last July, GM expanded the iPhone and Android remote domination over your horn, door locks, and real-time data to every 2011 automobile, and now it's reaching back through time to activate fourteen vehicles from 2010. As you'd expect, that's mostly a smattering of SUVs and crossovers like the Cadillac Escalade, Buick Enclave, GMC Yukon and Chevy Avalanche, though the Impala will also get the goods, and if you live in the lap of low-end luxury, you may be able to listen to Facebook updates on your 2010 Cadillac DTS or Buick Lucerne. Find the full list of compatible vehicles at our source link.
GM shows off Terrain SUV with noise cancellation, says silence equals fuel efficiency
GM claims its new Terrain has other SUVs beat when it comes to fuel efficiency, and they're citing active noise cancellation -- a concept near and dear to audiophiles everywhere -- as one of the driving factors that puts it 4MPG above the competition. Basically, the Terrain's enlisted a new one-touch "Eco mode" that allows its four-cylinder engine to run at a lower torque, decreasing engine speeds, and thus saving gas. The thing is, this increased fuel efficiency comes with a "low-end frequency boom," which is where the noise cancellation sets in: two microphones built in to the car's headliner detect the boom, prompting a frequency generator to pump counteracting sound waves through Terrain's speakers. Simply put, GM's just getting rid of an unpleasant hum. So a quieter car isn't necessarily a greener car, but we'll take a more fuel efficient SUV any day. If you're picking up what GM's laying down, check out the full PR after the jump.
GMC's SATIMO ATS system spins a Denali right round to ensure proper antenna placement (video)
As a certain company knows quite well, finding the right place to put an antenna can be harder than it looks. Rather than just slap one on the roof and call it a day, General Motors has installed the SATIMO ATS, a near-field antenna testing system of the sort we're used to spying in all those FCC photos. This one, however, is SUV-sized, as you can see in the video below. Workers for the General can drive a GMC Yukon Denali onto a turntable and spin it all around while 103 sensors test antenna placement, creating a 3D rendering of the resulting performance. It was the first such system in the world and will be the perfect place for our next Faraday rave. Update: We got an e-mail from SATIMO, the company behind this system, with pictures of a few other automotive installations, one for Renault and one for Peugeot. Both in France, and both pictured below for your browsing enjoyment.
Google Maps Send-To-Car feature goes live on Ford SYNC systems
Avid OnStar users received this here functionality a fortnight ago, and BMW owners have been bragging about it for years. But it looks as if the world's other automakers are finally coming around to one of life's undeniable facts: Google Maps is top-notch, and in almost every instance, trumps whatever factory mapping system that any given consumer has overpaid for. Today, drivers of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in the US enabled with Ford SYNC can send business listings or addresses found on GMaps directly to their cars (from a web browser, naturally). With the new additions, Google's Send-To-Car feature is now active in 19 countries and across 20 brands, but we're guessing that your brand isn't one of them. Or maybe that's just us moping and looking for company.
GM to offer $500 Autonet Mobile WiFi option in select vehicles
First came Cadillac (naturally), and now some of General Motors' other remaining brands are finally scratching the WiFi itch. Beginning next month, Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet dealers will all begin offering up Autonet Mobile's $499 WiFi router as a dealer-installed option, though it's on you to pony up the $29 (or more) it takes to get said device online month in and month out. As always, you'll also get a docking station to take it from one GM vehicle to another, though (at least initially) it'll only be offered in SUVs, crossovers and trucks, which are whips most likely to be used by internet-addicted families. 'Course, those looking to do a little retrofitting need only head to gmextras.com to snap one up themselves, but don't say you heard it from us. [Via Autoblog]
Video: Hands-on with the GMC Bulldozer R4 computer case
We don't typically get worked up for over-the-counter, computer cases. The we stumbled upon the Bulldozer R4. If we were a 92-mm case fan we'd totally tap this. If you're wondering what those little pneumatic arms are for then check the video after the break -- a place where surreal overkill and CeBIT come to meet.
